Bug out bags get a lot of attention in the prepper community. Get home bags, on the other hand, aren’t talked about nearly as often. Which is kind of strange, when you think about it, because you’re more likely to need a get home bag than a bug out bag.
What do I mean by that? Well, the odds of a disaster so severe that you have to leave your home are actually fairly low. Yes, you should be prepared, but it’s more likely not to happen than to happen.
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However, the odds that you’ll face a disaster where you have trouble getting back home (due to destroyed bridges, collapsed tunnels, flooded roads, or just a lot of traffic) are much higher. In case one of those disasters occurs, you need some basic supplies so you can get home safely.
So if you haven’t already, it’s time to start putting together a get home bag, and the items mentioned in this video by BlackScoutSurvival are a good place to start. He suggests the following:
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- Water – A container, a silcock key, and a purifier.
- Shelter – Such as a coat, tarp, sleeping bag, etc.
- Self-Defense – Weapons like a firearm or a knife.
- Medical – A good first aid trauma kit.
- Food – Things that don’t need to be cooked.
Watch the video below to learn more about the concept of a get home bag, why it’s so important, and more details on the suggested items.
Addendum:
not including firearms and water this weighs in at 13.8 pounds.
– Car
woolen watch cap
gloves
hiking boots
MOLLE first aid kit
Fixed blade knife
Head lamp
2 liters of water.
– Rucksack
5.11, 12 liter, MOLLE compatible ruck sack.
– fire stuff:
Fine steel wool, and a 9v battery.
Storm matches, mini bic, and commercial tinder
Magnesium/Ferro bar
Another bic.in cargo vest
credit card Fresnel lens
– food:
6 – MREs – packaging removed, sealed in vacuum bags.
4 – dehydrated chicken soup packets.
1 dozen packets of good dehydrated coffee.
2 – plastic sporks.
3 – packets of gatorade powder.
– Health
2 – pair clean wool/dacron socks
Moleskin
Ace bandage stuff
pair of earplugs
N95 mask
2 – cotton bandanas
2 – .MIL Mylar survival blanket
– Water.
1 liter stainless bottle.
Camel-back water bladder with a bite valve.
Chlorine Dioxide water purification tablets: 50 doses at 1 liter each.
Microfilter with syringe to push water through the filter.
– Knives & stuff:
Folder at all times:
Browning survival knife with self sharpening sheath, and a ferriconium stick on the sheath.
Fifty feet 550 para-cord
A few 10 hour glow sticks.
A mini pry bar.
Folding camp saw.
– Electrical:
Baofeng hand held. Programmed with the local HAM, EMS, sheriff, state police frequencies for use as a scanner, and FRS, CB, GMRS channels for two way comms.
Headlamp
Extra batteries.
Micro LED light
Solar battery with adapter cable. 5000 mAh output. Will recharge the radio or cell.
– Navigation
Mini binoclars 7X
Tradition lensatic compass
Wrist compass
Maps.
– Sanitation & similar
Sanitizing wipes
TP
Lotrimin.
Tooth paste and mini brush.
Three specific meds:
Ibuprofen- 20
Benadryl – 6
Immodium – 6
– Shelter
Two 35 Gal contractor bags.
.MIL poncho with liner
Single person bivi sack.
I agree with Cruella. Adjust accordingly to your commute. And make sure your family is prepared as well. Good article, keeps me thinking.
Walking 35 miles one way back to your home is more than a day’s trek. A small backpack with water, some dry meat, something sweet, some matches to cook something if you have the desire and need. I would carry a pistol (.357 or .45) plus a rifle something along the line of a .243. Such a rifle could take down a deer without too much trouble. A plastic tarp or something similar might help you stay dry and warm. Starting to walk back would likely require at least one gallon of water. Keep that in mind. In cold weather, at least one blanket would be very helpful. A long/wide knitted scarf would be useful to keep your head, neck, chest and back warmer than before. The basics … dehydrated food, plenty of water, TP, matches, a knife of some sort to scrape or cut dry twigs. Plan ahead, have a backpack with food in your car and enough to get you by for 72 hours.
35 miles should be able to be covered in 3 to 4 days, possibly 5 if you’re traveling in a stealth mode. The riffle shouldn’t be needed unless you’re making the return home more of an expedition! The need for a riffle to take large game like a deer would only slow the trip down tremendously, and you’d need to preserve the meat and build fires to cook the meat. Not a very stealthy way to travel. And the gun shots would be heard from great distances. A good slingshot will be quieter and allow the taking of small game like rabbits or squirrels, but still would need to be cooked over a fire. Dehydrated food and water for 5 or 6 days of travel shouldn’t be a real problem over that distance. I would sure want to get back home asap.
Exactly. It’s different for everyone. There are a lot of bad people out there. So, defense items are pretty important. It depends on the situation. But you should have at least something. Even pepper spray is better than nothing.
You’re so lucky, in the Netherlands where I live it’s not allowed to wear or store weapons in your car / home (gun / knife / even a baseball bet)
The laws will not mean much if the government is no longer in control. You will be surprised to learn how many “illegal: weapons will appear if there is widespread public disorder.
Before you build out your GHB you need to examine a number of considerations.
How far do you have to walk? A few hours or a week?
What type of terrain? ie; can you walk on the road or will you need to bushwack?
Inner urban or country? Mixed?
Security considerations? Peaceful or potentially/actively dangerous?
Water sources? Desert or water everywhere?
Ambient conditions – hiking in three feet of snow is very different than a 100 deg+ summer day.
I commute 35 miles each way daily. If S impacts the ambient air accelerator, I figure it will take me about a day in good conditions, and potentially a week if it all turns to S***.
I plan and pack my GHB appropriately.
I can tell you from numerous instances of personal experience that if you plan to walk 35 miles in one day you had best be in top physical condition. That means actually trying it a few times during off days AFTER you have spent a considerable time getting into some kind of decent shape. THEN if you found you can do it, do it with a full pack that you think would cover SHTF conditions which could triple or quadruple your walk times.
I agree. Even in U.S. Army Ranger School we had to work up to marching 30 miles in one day. It’s very difficult for most average civilian people to walk 10 miles in one day.